Porn - harmless or destructive?

                                            photo source

Is pornography just harmless curiosity or a destructive habit?

In our last post, we discussed the importance of parents' involvement in what and who is influencing their kids.  This week, we want to focus on pornography, specifically.

Are you up to date on the extent and severity of the effects of porn on young people and adults in our modern society?  Maybe you or your family have even dealt with or have been affected by this epidemic, personally. 

Let us reveal some pretty surprising statistics for you.  A site called Family Safe Media has gathered the following data:

• every second, $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography
• the average age of first Internet exposure to pornography is 11
• 90% of 8-16 year olds having viewed porn online (most while doing homework)
• 80% of 15-17 year olds having multiple hard-core exposures
• every second, 28,258 Internet users are viewing pornography
• 87% of boys and 57% of girls see group sex online before the age of 18 (source link)

In this recent article from the U.K.s' Mail Online, ironically, a former editor of Loaded Magazine (a "gentlemen's" magazine) discusses his new found disgust and dismay on the severity of this issue. He was asked to take part in a discussion with 20 boys and girls ages 13-14 who were asked to label all the sexual terms that they knew from A-Z, no matter how explicit.  The adults in the room were shocked to find out that they didn't even know what many of the terms meant and that most of these young people had learned them from online exposure. 

The article also describes a major problem with young people and porn.  "The brain's reward centre is fully developed by the time we're teenagers, but the part of the brain that regulates our urges - the pre-frontal cortex - isn't fully developed until our mid-20s. The brains of teenagers are not wired to say 'stop', they are wired to want more. The implications of this study are profoundly troubling."

The article goes on to say, "If porn does have the insidious power to be addictive, then letting our children consume it freely via the internet is like leaving heroin lying around the house, or handing out vodka at the school gates.  And this toxic effect is filtering down directly into young girls' lives."

This article and many other sources go beyond the statistics and describe the destructive effects that porn can have on relationships, jobs, finances, and lifestyle.

Remember parents - avoiding a subject won't prevent it from happening and definitely doesn't mean it isn't already effecting your child.

Young people are very technologically savvy these days.  Many toddlers can even teach their grandparents how to navigate through the internet and mobile devices.  While many parents and guardians may not have the technological know how as their kids/teens do, there are definitely guidelines that can be put in place to help prevent or lessen the possibility of exposure.

Below are some boundaries that may be helpful:

* Avoid having televisions and computers in kid's bedrooms.
* Require kids to turn in mobile devices before bedtime (to prevent night 
   time web surfing).
* Implement some type of parental controls or guardian software on 
   Internet and television use.
* Be mindful of the types of magazines and advertisements (that may 
   appear harmless) that are in your house and that come in the mail.